


Janitorial Alchemy

by raiyuki76



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Depression, Ishvallan War of Exterimination, Or go to therapy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Talk about your feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 10:46:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14055273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raiyuki76/pseuds/raiyuki76
Summary: State Alchemists rampage through Central all the time. Someone has to clean up after them





	Janitorial Alchemy

**Author's Note:**

> So... I wrote this years ago and never posted it. It was really weird to read it again after so long. Either way, please leave feedback in the comments, and I hope you enjoy!

“Captain James Wickes. Come in Captain.”

Dark green eyes flickered open to stare at a dark ceiling. Sitting up, a middle aged man with long wavy brown hair reached out for the hand held radio that sits on his cluttered bedside table. Holding the device to a whisker covered cheek, he paused. 

“Captain Wickes!” It was an annoying voice that he didn’t recognize, a nasally female that was painful to listen to. 

“I’m here. What is it?” He said quickly, if only to silence her. He was only polite to the top dogs, a colonel at the lowest. 

“You’re needed in the southern quarter of Central, 53rd Blvd. for cleanup. Your expected to be there and working within the hour. That is all,” she said almost lazily. The radio clicked off after that. James sighed and looked at the clock on the other side of his room. It was eight in the morning and he hated mornings. 

Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he looked tiredly around his room. Through the darkness, he could see books, cloths, and random bits of paper and trash cover his floor and furniture, half of it supporting a layer of dust as well. ‘For a guy in charge of clean up, I sure live messily,’ he thought quietly while he looked around for his uniform. His pants and boots were on the floor next to his bed, while his dress shirt hung off the edge of his couch. Searching around, he looked for his jacket as he pulled on the rest of his uniform. Finally finding the last piece, he pulled it out from under a pile of books and moved on.

Entering his bathroom, he looked into a dusty mirror at his own reflection as he hung his jacket from the door handle. Tired eyes looked at the grim face before him as he turned on the water without looking. He broke eye contact with his reflection and looked down as water pooled in his palms, flowing over the sides and into the sink. Splashing the water on his face, he felt the cold liquid revitalize him instantly. He splashed his face a few more times before taking a towel from the shelf next to the sink.

The moment he touched it, he knew it was dirty. He hesitated, opening his eyes and blinking water away. Reaching over, he picked up a small slate with a green alchemic circle engraved on it. Laying the slate on top of the towel, he tapped the slate with the edge of his fingers and proceeded to watch blue lightning raise from the circle and the grime in the towel fall away to pool on the floor in a dust like form. Drying his face with the now clean towel, he debated sweeping up the mess on the floor, and decided against it. Setting the slate back where he had gotten it from, he looked around for his other slates. Finding the one with the red transmutation circle on it, he pulled it out from under a few rags. Holding it up to his face, he tapped it like he had with the green one and watched the static bolts. As the lights faded, he felt a familiar tickling sensation. Setting the slate down, he brushed the newly severed whiskers from his face and looked at himself in the mirror. 

He smiled half-heartily at the reflection as he pulled his wavy hair into a low ponytail. It wasn’t too bad waking up in the morning. Grabbing his jacket and the slate with the green circle on it, he left his apartment to head towards the southern side of Central. He pulled his jacket on as he walked through the halls of his apartment building. He noticed that his cloths were dirty as well and sigh quietly. He’d have to wait to clean them until he was out of the building if he didn’t want to get yelled at.

Stepping out into the morning sun, a small smile crept onto his face as the sounds and smells of the city greeted him. He truly loved this neighborhood, with its many outdoor shops and lively people. Pulling out the slate with the green alchemic circle, he stepped into the alley way between his apartment building and the next building, tapping on the circle as he moved. He stepped on the grass just in time for the dust to fall from his uniform, leaving him clean and professional. He left the dark nook and headed down the street, heading towards the morning sun. 

It didn’t take him long to find where he was needed. Large spikes made of rock jutted out of buildings before him, most surrounded by large craters. An explosion of some sort had destroyed the wall of one building that appeared to be a shop, and some stalls for food vendors lay in splinters. A State Alchemist had been here at some time last night, presumably overkilling whomever they were fighting. And of course, they left this mess for him to clean up. One of the stall owners was currently screaming in front of the rubble that was probably his stand to an officer who quiet obviously had no idea what to do about the situation. Another person, presumably the owner of the destroyed building watched on with a look that said she agreed. Shaking his head, James hurried his gait.

“People, people! Calm down. We’ll fix your stuff, ok? Chill out,” he said, his voice now loud and commanding, which didn’t seem to suit him. The man who had been yelling glanced at him briefly before deciding that he didn’t care and continuing to yell at the young officer in front of him. The female shop owner shook her head and approached Wickes.

“I’m sorry about him, but I doubt he’ll listen. He’s like that,” she said matter of factly. “So you’re going to help us, huh?” she asked. She was a short plump woman with a no nonsense feel about her. She was polite, but only to an extent. Wickes gave her a polite smile.

“That’s right ma’am. I’m Captain James Wickes, and I’ll fix this up right away. Now if you may excuse me, I have to go save that officer from this unfair lecture,” he said as he nodded his head to the woman and turned towards the man who was still yelling.

“And further more!...”

“Further more is not necessary good sir,” Wickes interrupted. The man snapped his head around to look at him as if he surprised him. “You’re stand will be fixed in just a moment. And I would love to know exactly what made you think that this young man was responsible for what happened here?” he asked. The man looked at him with a thoroughly surprised look on his face. Wickes didn’t give him time to answer. “If you want to blame someone, find out whatever State Alchemist did this and go give him a call. Now if you’ll excuse me,” Wickes said professionally as he turned away. The man starred at him with his mouth slightly agape as the officer from before ran to follow him. 

“Sir!” The officer said with a salute as he caught up with Wickes. “My name is Sergeant Vosh. I was the first to arrive on scene this morning, and the only officer not to leave. This was supposedly a fight between the Full Metal Alchemist Edward Elric, possibly his brother, Alphonse Elric, and a third unknown party. This assessment was made based on the type of alchemy used and an eye witness report. Is there anything I can do to assist in the clean up, Sir?”

Wickes had barely been listening. Surveying the damage area, he estimated the center and had starting clearing rubble from the spot. Now digging in his pocket, he found that his chalk was missing. “It seems there is. Do you have any chalk?” he asked as he looked around to see if he had dropped it. 

“I do Captain,” the woman from earlier said before ducking into the remains of her store. She returned not long after with a box of chalk used in school houses. “Will this do?” she asked as she handed it to Wickes.

“This is perfect,” he said as he pulled out a stick of it and began to draw the transmutation circle. It was a different circle than both the green and the red ones he had used just earlier, and only a little more complex. It took him a little bit of time to complete it, but that’s a minor price to pay for all of the work it finishes. “Now,” he said to no one in particular. “That’s finished.” Looking up, he gestured for everyone to move back. 

Once all of the civilians had retreated to a safe distance, he clapped down on the stone with both hands. Blue lightning sprung up from the circle while everything around him began to move. Giant portions of rock shifted almost like liquid back to where it was supposed to be. Spikes retreated back into the ground to fill the craters that had once surrounded them. Rubble moved from where it lay on the street back into the wall of the destroyed building, showing not a single crack. A puddle of shattered glass jumped upward to form the window it originally had been while wood splinters joined with each other to become the food stalls they originally formed. Wickes watched it all, taking in each thing he was fixing and enjoying the general feeling that came with knowing he could and was doing this. A smile spread on his face through out the work and he didn’t even realize it.

“Wow! That’s amazing!” a little kid said as the blue sparks faded from around the circle. 

“Yeah, that’s so cool!” another said.

Wickes noticed his smile then. He was about to stop and put on a serious face again, but he couldn’t see a reason too. He wasn't content often... Why stifle it now?  
“You must be a state alchemist,” the old woman said as she approached him. The smile on his face dropped immediately. 

“No ma’am. I’m just the clean up guy. Good day,” he said quickly and somewhat coldly as he turned away. He didn’t realize that he walked away rather quickly. The woman watched him go in silence, wondering why what she had said offended him. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Wickes sat at a bar in a quiet place on main street. Tucked into a corner, the place was normally empty, and his usual place to eat lunch or have a few drinks. It was a little early for lunch, but he had skipped breakfast, and dinner the night before, so he decided not to care. He wasn’t there long when a woman walked up and sat on the stool next to his. Behind her, a large man followed and sat on her other side.

“So, that was some alchemy you did earlier. I’m not going to lie, I was impressed. And I don’t say that often,” she said as she looked at him. She was wearing a white coat, and had a head of thin black dreads tied into a pony tail. Her eyes were dark but her face was stubbornly set and rather beautiful. 

“Thank you,” he said quietly as he took a sip of his drink. He looked at her sideways again. “And may I ask, who are you?”

“Oh, no one important. Just a housewife. My name is Izumi Curtis,” she said proudly. Wickes smiled crookedly. 

‘She sure is a character,’ he thought.

“And this is my husband, Sig,” she said as she gestured towards the man on her other side. Wickes nodded in his direction. The large man nodded back. He was healthy and fit, having a large belly but also rather strong arms. Dark brown hair covered his head and circled down into a pointy beard on his chin. He didn’t seem like a man who talked much.   
“So,” Izumi said after telling the bar tender that they both wanted water. “You’re an alchemist working for the military, but not as a State Alchemist? That’s odd.” Wickes tensed up. Why did that keep coming up today?

“I was once a State Alchemist. But I was demoted to Captain and placed with clean up duty like what you saw earlier,” he said quietly, looking into his cup. He didn’t see Izumi’s eyes narrow slightly.

“That’s strange. State Alchemists are normally at the rank of a Major. The demoted you a good bit, huh. I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, her voice softer than earlier. “One of my students is a State Alchemist.”

“Is that so?” Wickes asked, not wanting to be rude, but not really wanting to talk about this right now.

“Yep. Which one was Ed now?” she asked, turning to her husband.

“The Full Metal Alchemist,” Sig said, his voice deep and quiet.

“Ah,” Wickes said quietly, knowing who they were talking about instantly. “You’re talking about Major Elric, correct?” he asked. He looked at Izumi when she didn’t respond, only to see her shaking with quiet laughter.

“I’m sorry,” she said between chuckles when she saw him looking at her. “It’s just I’ve never heard anyone refer to him like that.”

“Well, that is technically his rank. He’s higher up than me, so I have to respect him,” Wickes said looking back into his cup. He wasn’t normally this depressed, but he didn’t enjoy his demotion being so often brought up. Izumi looked at him, sensing his annoyance.

“I’m sorry. It seems I’ve upset you,” she said quietly.

“It's fine,” Wickes said, shaking his head with a weak smile. “I’m just a little sore about the subject. You’d think by now I’d be used to it,” he added, so quiet it was nearly a whisper. Izumi looked into her cup.

“You know, I used to hate military dogs. But now that Edward’s one, I’m finding myself feeling different about them. But still, the military isn’t always the best thing for a person,” she said before looking at him. “May I ask, why were you demoted?”

Wickes looked at her, slightly surprised. Other than his former comrades, not many people actually knew the reason he was demoted. He had been messed with because of it, but so few people were aware of why it had happened, and less even cared to find out. He smiled crookedly.

“I decided not to bite when I was told to,” he said, wondering suddenly why he bothered to share. What good would it even do? But he found himself continuing. It was almost... cathartic. “I was in the Ishvalin War of Extermination,” he began to explain. “I wasn’t given the option of resigning before, and I wasn’t the only one who wanted to resign afterwards. Many of my fellow Alchemist did. But I had no means to live off of. So I went to the higher ups.” He paused. This was really the part that got him. “I told them that I would continue to serve as a State Alchemist, only not as a human weapon.”

He had begged... He had no family, no other skills. He didn't have the self-discipline to work for himself. He had no where else to turn to, but he couldn't fathom repeating what he had done... 

His food arrived then. He thanked the bar tender and began to stir the soup he had ordered, continuing his story. “After a long debate, I was told I could keep my job. But I was demoted, and I am only called to clean up after other State Alchemists destroy the city with their fights. I’m the only State Alchemist ever demoted. They even took my watch,” he added with a slight sneer. He stopped, his story finished, and waited to hear the woman’s reaction as he took a bite of soup.

“That’s quite a story,” she said quietly. Wickes chuckled weakly and nodded as he ate. She was silent for a moment as Wickes continued eating, and then she looked at him again. “The military has never been one of my favorites, but you are a rather commendable person,” she said quietly to him. “You may not see your current position as useful in any way, but trust me. One day soon, it might be. And one day, for sure, it will be.”

Wickes chuckled quietly again. “Thank you Mrs. Curtis,” he said as he put the money for his food and tip on the bar and stood up. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” he added as he left.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Wickes walked down Main Street. It was loud and bustling, and the sun was bright and somewhat in his eyes. He felt a little too warm in his full uniform, the overall effects of summer, and a warm wind blew his hair around behind his head. He stopped by a small flower booth and paid for a single white lily. Holding the flower gently, he headed southeast. 

It didn’t take long to reach his destination. A sort of shrine had been erected not long after the war. It was a well, settled into a little alcove between two tall buildings. White cloth lay on the ground and flowers and little trinkets of all sorts surrounded the stone that made it. Wind chimes hung from the roof of the well and Ishvalin writing covered the walls of the surrounding buildings. An Ishvalin beggar sat down with his back to the building, watching over the shrine to ensure no one would steal from it. 

“Wickes,” the old man said as he looked up at him, his voice cracking with old age. “It kills me to see you in uniform. It’s been a while since you came wearing that… Oh well. A flower?” 

“Yes. For the Ishvalin people,” Wickes said as he lay the flower on the edge of the well. He nodded his head slightly as he remembered his time in Ishval. Every day, he came here and gave a token of some sort to the shrine. He knew that it would never be enough to atone for what he did as a State Alchemist, but it was a start. “See ya,” he said as he flipped a few coins to the beggar and headed away. 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was evening now. The sun was setting as Wickes headed towards Central Command, feeling drained from his long day out and about. He knew he had to report at Central Command every evening, so there had been no point in going home and getting comfortable yet. The looming walls were impressive as ever, casting a tall shadow as the sun disappeared behind them. He made his way towards a less used side door as he prepared for his evening chores. 

Before he had been giving this job, Central had a full janitorial staff. With his demotion, that was cut in half. The actual janitors’ jobs were to straighten up and make things look pretty. His job was to rid the entirety of Central Command of dirt, grime, dust, and other messes of the sort. It wasn’t really hard work thanks to his alchemy, but it wasn’t fun work either. 

Taking an elevator to the top most floor, he decided to start there. The most simple floors, like the top few floors, only required one stop. Walking into a janitor’s closet with a sigh, Wickes looked at the large transmutation circle painted on the wall. It was the same as the green circle on the slate at home. In general, this transmutation summoned unwanted materials and elements from where they were and simply moved them to a central location. It was an easy concept, but a surprisingly unknown form of alchemy. It was the Fuhrer’s wife who actually suggested it when he was first given the job. She hadn’t meant to add to his work load, or to stab at his pride. Wickes knew she was a kind person, and all she wanted was to help her husband.

Clapping his hands to the wall, blue lightning flashed around and he could feel his alchemy at work as it pulled the unwanted elements from where they were. The grime would go to a small closet to await being cleaned up by normal janitor. Proceeding down each floor, he cleaned Central Command one floor at a time, and one room at a time on complex floors. By the time he was finished, he had spent five hours covering the many building and many floors and leaving them all spotless. 

Wickes didn’t bother going in and resting before heading home. He just wanted to sit back in normal cloths and have a nice strong drink. It was dark outside now with the streets illuminated by lanterns all around. As he left the imposing walls of Central Command behind him, feeling somewhat sour, he heard soft sobs off to one side. Looking over, he saw a young girl with long blond hair crying softly as she walked. His eyes widened slightly, feeling sorry for her even though he didn’t know her. Perhaps it’s because she was really cute. Or perhaps he just wanted something nice to happen in the last bit of his day. Whatever the reason, he found himself approaching the girl even though his common sense told him to leave her alone.

“May I ask what’s wrong?” he asked softly, unsure how to treat her. She was wearing a black pleated skirt and plain white shirt, with a black midriff jacket on top. Her long blond hair was up in a high pony tail and when she looked at him, her eyes were startling blue. Tears ran down her face, only just taking away from her appearance.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, looking down again. “I guess I was making a scene…”

“Don’t be sorry,” Wickes said. “I’m sure you have every reason to cry.”

She chuckled weakly. “Apparently I’m a cry baby, so maybe not every reason,” she said as she whipped her eyes.

“Well, you don’t really need all of them. Ones plenty,” Wickes said calmly. She looked at him, slightly confused and suspicious. Then she smiled weakly. 

“I suppose,” she muttered, her smile fading again and tears starting to well up.

Wickes sighed quietly. What to do? “Here,” he said. “I’ll get you some water or something.” There was a food vendor a little ways down the street, so it wasn’t that big of a deal. Apparently, it helped, because she did stop crying. “So what was wrong?” Wickes asked, resting his weight on one leg as he prepared for what could be a long conversation.

“Well… it’s just that…” she started, looking down. Wickes waited for her to continue in polite silence. “Did you know... Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?” she asked, looking at him. 

Of course Wickes knew him. It was a sad story indeed. Wickes had met Hughes a few times, and got to talk to him for a good bit once. He was a good man.

“Well, I was visiting his grave. He was so nice to me the few times I met him…” she said quietly. Wickes was afraid she’d start crying again, but she didn’t.

“And then today, as I was leaving an Ishvalin spit on his grave,” she said. Wickes’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected this sort of thing. 

“I got mad at him, for being so disrespectful. He said that Hughes had fought in Ishval, and probably killed many of his people, and he didn’t deserve respect. He sounded drunk when he spoke, but still…,” she said, her voice soft. “He said that all Amestrians are monsters for what they did to the Ishvalin people. He called me a monster as well. I know I shouldn’t care, especially since his hate is... somewhat well founded but… it still hurt,” she said. Wickes shook his head.

“How he acted was wrong, and will always be,” he said quietly, but angrily. What that man had done was wrong, no matter how you put it. The young girl looked at him, surprised. He sighed.

“I understand people like him hating Amestrians, but their hate is always targeted at the wrong people,” he began to explain. “They hate any Amestrians they see, and they assume that all Amestrians are monsters. They think the State Alchemist and the soldiers enjoyed killing all of those people.” 

His hands were balled into a fist. The thing that angered him was their lack of understanding. “Do they know that I have nightmares from my time in Ishval? Do they know that many State Alchemists resigned because of what happened there? Do they understand that orders were orders and we weren’t allowed to disobey?” he asked, not meaning to rant. He stopped, his eyes widening as he realized what all he had said. Perhaps talking to strangers wasn't ok, if it made him break down like this.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. The young girl looked at him with a mixture of pity and confusion on her face. “It’s just that… I want to be forgiven, and I know I never will be.” Her eyes widened slightly as realization seemed to hit her. 

“The Ishvalin verbally attacking you was wrong to do so. Not all Amestrians are what he thinks, just as not all Ishvalins are what we think. I know many Ishvalins who understand that, and I am thankful for them. As for Lieutenant Colonel Hughes,” Wickes said, pausing to find the right words. “Hughes was a great man, whether he fought in the war or not. Killing a person, doesn’t always make you a bad person. It how you feel about it afterwards that determines that,” Wickes said, realizing too late that he had once again let loose thoughts he normally kept in. Perhaps it’s because the girl in front of him was cute. Perhaps because it’s true what they say about holding your problems in. Or perhaps he just wanted someone… anyone, even a stranger to understand his reasons. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, straightening up. “I hope you feel better now. I’m off. Have a good night,” he said as he turned to leave.

“Wait,” she said quickly. Wickes stopped and turned to look at her.

“Thank you,” she said. Wickes smiled and said, “Welcome” before turning and walking away. 

When he got home later that night, he remembered the day and smiled. Sometimes, it seems that saying what you feel is exactly what you need.


End file.
